The Bern and Ronny Schwartz Curator of Photography
Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG
Grade 7: £33,309 – £40,927 per annum
Only applications received online before 12.00 midday (GMT/BST) on Friday 19 November 2021 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 9 December 2021.
Job description Overview of the role
Thanks to a transformational gift of £2 million from The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, the Bodleian Libraries are recruiting a Curator of Photography for the first time. In this post you will help us to increase the impact of our photographic holdings. The candidate we are looking for could be an experienced curatorial professional with an extensive professional network in the world of photography and photographic collections, or a talented individual with less experience in curation, or photography, but the clear potential to grow into the role. You can expect to work with incredible collections, documenting photography from its earliest days through to contemporary photography. The Bodleian’s special collections include major holdings of significant photographers such as Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Cameron, Daniel Meadows and Helen Muspratt, photobooks from the Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey Collection, prints recently gifted by James and Claire Hyman, as well as huge volumes of photography present in the Libraries’ wider archive and print collections, for example the extensive photographic component within the archive of Oxfam GB.
Responsibilities
Library duties
• Answer enquiries received through the Libraries’ various communication channels
• Rapid and efficient surveying, sorting, arranging, and cataloguing of collections, including digital materials, according to Library processes and standards. A key aim will be the
elimination of the cataloguing backlog of photographic holdings.
• Produce project plans and project costings
• Provide regular progress reports for projects in progress for your line manager, the Head
of Archives & Modern Manuscripts, and other interested parties.
• Research and interpret the content of collection material, in preparation for publication of
catalogues, outreach activities, and other projects as required.
• Contribute to the development of the collections through the acquisitions and accessioning
work of the department. This work may require travel to sites where collections are located, including assisting with the collection and delivery of materials between offsite locations and the libraries.
• Ensure the collections management database and collection files are routinely updated.
• Take on a stewardship role, liaising with the donors of the collections as required.
• Demonstrate good judgement in relation to potential confidentiality issues pertaining to the
collections, undertaking sensitivity review of collections at appropriate points during the
collection lifecycle
• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant professional best practices
• Encourage use and awareness of the collections with academics and students, and with
the general public, through various means including seminars, public events, blogging,
etc.
• Present collections and projects to senior university officers and visiting VIPs as required.
• Identify items requiring conservation and liaise with conservators as required.
• Exercise good levels of diplomacy and strong communication skills in any dealings with
externals, such as the media, who may take an interest in the collections.
• Provide leadership to any support staff, trainees, interns or volunteers, working under your
direction, establishing goals and objectives, and monitoring progress against deadlines.
• Contribute to support staff appraisals and performance reviews.
• Share responsibility for the day-to-day care and security of the collections.
• Invigilate in the reading room and other general library duties for evening and weekend rotas.
Other duties
• Some evening and weekend working will be required
• Participate in a regular Annual Review
• Undertake any necessary training identified
• Comply with health and safety regulations
• Comply with the policies and procedures set out in the Handbook for University Support Staff/Academic Related Staff
• Any other duties that may be required from time to time commensurate with the grade of the job
Selection criteria
Essential selection criteria
• Passionate about photographic collections. Able to demonstrate a deep knowledge of one or more aspects of photography, an understanding of contemporary photography, and the history of photography more generally
• A postgraduate qualification in archives management, heritage management, digital curation or similar, or equivalent relevant experience
• Able to demonstrate an appropriate understanding of the potential purposes of research collections in a higher education environment
• Excellent communication skills: oral and written
• Knowledge of the legal and ethical context relevant to work with modern archives, including demonstrably high levels of discretion and good judgment when dealing with sensitive material and matters
• The ability to work independently and in teams
• Proven project management skills, including the ability to identify clear measures for progress and delivery against targets
• Demonstrable ability to deliver MPLP cataloguing to agreed deadlines
• Expert in the application of IT to archival work, including familiarity with cataloguing tools and technical standards
• Knowledgeable about content standards for archive description, including ISAD(G) and relevant indexing standards
• Supervisory skills (while there are no direct reports for this post currently, this may change, and the postholder may also benefit from the support of assistants, interns or volunteers from time to time).
Desirable selection criteria
• Teaching skills
• Good understanding of acquisitions work, which may include a knowledge of the market
for photographic collections
• Awareness of the landscape of collecting in archives and rare books, and especially as this pertains to photographic collections
• Experience of working with born-digital archive materials
• Proficiency in a foreign language relevant to the collections
• Full UK driving licence
• Membership of a relevant professional organisation
• Knowledge of, and interest in, other subject areas relevant to the Bodleian Libraries’ Special Collections
How to apply
- Applications are made through our e-recruitment system and you will find all the information you need about how to apply on our Jobs website https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/how-to-apply.
- Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated in the job description.
- If you would like to apply, click on the Apply Now button on the ‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a new user or log-in if you have applied previously.
- Please provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can contact them now.
- You will also be required to complete and upload a supporting statement which explains how you meet the selection criteria for the post.
- Please upload all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename. Please note using a long file name may prevent you from uploading your documents.
